Imperial Palace grounds open to public for cherry blossom season
A normally restricted section of the Imperial Palace grounds in Tokyo opened to the public on Saturday, with about 500 people lining up from the early morning to see the cherry blossoms, Kyodo reports.
The route will be open for nine days, with the trees expected to be in full bloom from around Wednesday, according to the Imperial Household Agency. Access to the roughly 750-meter Inui Street is permitted twice a year -- during the cherry blossom and fall foliage seasons.
No advance registration is required, with visitors allowed to stroll in the area from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
The opening of the route to the public began in 2014 in commemoration of the 80th birthday of the former Emperor Akihito the previous year.
Earlier it was reported that the cherry blossom season had arrived in Tokyo, 5 days earlier than average year.
